Our Story
by CorpseReviver
Summary: It was Christmas when Akuma Cross decided nothing was worth living anymore. But life had other plans and God had a funny way to make people fall in love. It might not be the most exciting or most romantic story ever, but it was Our Story. Laxus x OC. Lemons in later chapters.
1. Faded

**A/N :** _Welcome, welcome ! This is my first published story on this site. I've been writing for a long time as a hobby and as a way to get rid of the stress of work and exams. I just had this one particular story in my mind for a long time and decided maybe it was worth sharing with other people? This chapter is incredibly short; I will try to keep all the following chapters around or over a thousand words, but the flashbacks might be shorter. I'll fill in pieces of information and comments in the A/N as the story progresses. I already have 8 chapters written and I'll probably be posting them once or twice a week depending on the demand. I guess I should probably mention that Fairy Tail and all of its characters belong to Mashima?_

 _Enjoy and don't forget to review ~ !_

 **[FLASHBACK]**

I made my way down the stairs of the guild, staring at the ground, tears streaming down my face hidden by my hair and the black hood of my sweater. I walked up to Master and handed him the S-class request I had just chosen off the board. I didn't look up, but I could hear the confusion in his voice when he said:

''This is a 10-year mission, you know? No one has completed it in 10 years.''

''I know.''

''I don't think-'' he started, but stopped as I raised my head. I tried to explain my predicament through the sorrow visible in my eyes as I let out a single sob. I brought my hand to my mouth to try and shuffle the sound as not to attract the other members' attention. I held my gaze for a few seconds before I let out another sob, and another, and another, until I was full on crying. I tried to wipe the tears with my forearm, then with both of my hands, but it seemed as if nothing could stop the flow of sadness that was pouring out of me like a broken faucet.

I heard Master let out a heavy sigh before he finally said:

''Alright. I understand.''

As if these mere words had liberated me, I bolted towards the guild's open doors and down the streets. I was running, panting, yelling and crying. People were staring, but it made no matter to me. I ran until my legs gave out, I panted until I couldn't breathe, I yelled until my voice wouldn't come out anymore and I cried until I was empty inside.

And I was so empty inside.


	2. Sweater Weather

A/N : Because the last chapter was really short, I posted this one right after. I figured you guys couldn't really decided whether or not you liked the story in a mere 300 words. So here's a fuller chapter to keep you occupied! Also, I just want to warn you guys of the timeline: This is December 1st, x784. Laxus has already been banished from the guild and we won't be seeing much of him for a few chapters other than flashbacks. But he'll come back quickly, because the Tenrou battle starts on December 15th! Meanwhile, I'm just trying to give bits and bouts of info about our main character so she's well established when Laxus comes into play. There will also be a lemon on Chapter 7 to reward you for your patience, my dear readers! And as always, Fairy Tail belongs to Mashima.

Enjoy and don't forget to review ~ !

 **[PRESENT]**

My eyes twitched as a single ray of sun made its way through the curtain of my room. I rolled over, muttering about killing the sun and other nonsense I was prone to while still in a sleepy state. I eventually opened my eyes and stared at the wall for a couple of minutes before getting up and walking towards the window. I opened the dark curtains and narrowed my eyes as I was embraced in daylight.

''Warm…'' I muttered as I closed my eyes for a few seconds, giving them time to adjust.

I grabbed the window with both hands and lifted it up, then poked my upper body out. I looked at the street below, the people walking and laughing, the cats running around and the kids laughing as they ran around. Then, I looked at the horizon, where Magnolia was visible. In a few hours, I would be home. Home to my guild. Home to my friends. Home to my family. Home to…

I quickly retracted my body inside the inn as my thoughts went places they shouldn't and hit my head on the window in the process. I grabbed the back of my head with both hands and moaned in pain. I had learnt with the years that there was no pain a hot shower couldn't wash off. So I made my way towards the bathroom and turned on the faucet. I put my hand under the running water.

''Cold…'' I muttered, feeling the ice cold water dripping on my hand slowly getting warmer. I took off my tank top and my panties, then hopped into the shower, which was now warm enough. I ran my fingers through my long, pink hair as water ran over my face. I grabbed a lock of hair and stared at it. When had it gotten so long...? When I left 3 years ago, it was at shoulder length… Maybe I should cut it again? Or maybe not… I wondered as I tried to ignore the throbbing pain on the back of my head that just wouldn't stop reminding me of my idiocy.

''Hitting my head on a window… That's something Natsu would do…'' I chuckled as I started washing my hair absentmindedly.

During the 3 years I was away on my mission, I had been pretty good at not thinking about the guild more than necessary. Don't get me wrong; I missed them, I really did. But that was all the more reason not to think about them. My reason for leaving hadn't been all too rational to begin with.

I started washing my body and looked down at my breasts. When had THEY gotten so big? I was almost flat chested when I left and look at this. No wonder I had been getting increasingly more remarks from gentlemen at bars and even sometimes in the streets. Really, were my guild mates even going to recognize me? I had changed so much… It was like I had become a new person.

I turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, grabbing the towel on the rack in the process. I dried myself and walked back to the bedroom. I then started getting dressed. I hadn't brought any changes of clothes with me when I left, so I had been in a pinch when my dress had gotten too tight for my breasts. I had to buy new clothes as I traveled. My current outfit consisted of a white tank top and jeans shorts. Because it was cold though, I wore black thigh high socks. I still kept the jacket I had left with 3 years ago, though it wouldn't zip anymore, so I kept it open. It was black and warm, and had fur around the hood. I also had black fingerless gloves that weren't very practical for keeping my hands warm, but were mostly great when fighting, as to not injure my knuckles, but still be able to grasp and feel things with my fingertips.

Finally, as I stepped out of the room, I put on my black army boots and laced them up. I closed the door behind me and locked it. I then made my way down the stairs and handed the key back to the inn's clerk.

''Thank you, hope to see you again!'' he said, enthusiasm way too high for it being this early in the morning. I gave him a small smile and a nod as I opened the door and walked out.

It was snowing. Lightly, but snowing still. Soon, it would be Christmas. My first Christmas at the guild in a while. My eyes watered as I mentally pushed and shoved those Christmas thoughts out of the way. I headed down the streets towards the city end. If I was lucky, I could reach Magnolia by nightfall.

I walked up to a cliff about a kilometer outside the city. Magnolia was on the other side of that canyon, so I would either have to go around, or go down. I smiled as I turned my back to the cliff and let my body fall backwards. I closed my eyes and felt the cold winter air pushing on my back as if to prevent me from splattering down on the rapidly approaching bottom. I turned my body around so I was facing the ground and made my wings appear in a flash of magic. I flapped my wings and flew straight as I was just about to hit the ground. White feathers flew around, detaching themselves and flowing in the wind. I picked up in altitude and flapped my wings faster, harder, until I was back at the same height as the cliff was. I then let myself glide while I stared at Magnolia in the distance.

It was surely the strong winter winds that were causing tears to drop out of my eyes.


	3. Never Be Like You

A/N : Hello again! I decided to update today because I'm just doing really well with this story. I'm already on chapter 13! The way this story is made, I will be alternating between present and flashbacks until I'm done with all the important flashbacks. Then, I'll just go with present and the occasional flashback. The story might not make complete sense for now, but don't worry. The flashbacks will build up a nice backstory for the present to rest upon! You will understand everything as the story develops. ;)

As always, Fairy Tail is Mashima's, don't forget to review ~ !

 **[FLASHBACK]**

I leapt out of the window from the 2nd storey and deployed my wings as I heard his voice calling out my name repeatedly. Or at least, I think I did.

I flew to the outside of the city, then started flying higher and higher until it was hard to breathe anymore. But still, I kept climbing, until I felt dizzy and my vision got blurry. I reached out towards the sky, aiming to go higher, to go to that place where I belonged. But instead, I started falling, my vision turning black. I fell and fell for what seemed like forever. At one point, it felt like I wasn't really falling, like I was just floating between two worlds. My world and his world. And I couldn't go back to my world, but I was never going to be a part of his. So where did I belong?

I held my necklace in my right hand. It was a metallic cross with a red jewel in the middle. It was attached to a black choker that wrapped around my neck.

''Stop…'' I heard her say. The voice was so faint, I thought I had imagined it. But it was her, I could feel it.

''Stop… Stop… Stop…'' she repeated incessantly. I closed my eyes and almost instantly felt something hard crack on my back as cold water wrapped around me. I opened my eyes out of shock and saw the ray of light shining through the ice where my body had hit the icy water. I extended my hand towards the hole as I was enveloped by darkness.

Next thing I knew, I was walking limply towards the guild, sopping wet. I didn't care to think about how I had gotten out of that water. I knew it was her. She wouldn't let me die, even if I wanted to. She wouldn't free me of my pain. I had to get rid of it. I had to get rid of her. And there was only one way for me to die: have someone really powerful do it for me. I devised my twisted suicide plan as I made my way towards the guild, people staring at me and whispering. A sopping wet girl, in the middle of winter.

Before entering the guild, I requiped into dry clothes so as not to raise suspicions. I made my way up the stairs to the S-Class missions' board, as was my right as an S-Class mage. I pondered my options as tears blurred my vision. It was hard to read in those conditions. I just grabbed a random one on the top corner and headed back downstairs to present the request to Gramps.

I cherished the pain I was feeling as proof that, at this very moment, I had never been more alive.


	4. Don't Worry

**A/N:** _Hey there! I decided to post another chapter today :) I said I'd post once or twice a week but I'm too excited to wait! Plus, I just got my first review ever today! Thanks to 6661 for the review. I will try to keep updating daily or every two days. I'll also be less busy with school and work starting this weekend, which will allow me more time to write the following chapters. Cheers!_

 _As always, FT belongs to Mashima and Laxus' delicious body belongs to me. Kidding. It doesn't. Sadly :( Don't forget to leave reviews ~ I love reading them!_

 **[PRESENT]**

I stood in front of the guild's massive doors. I took a deep breath as I reached towards the door, but I didn't even have time to push the doors before they came swinging open and someone came flying towards me. I didn't have time to react and closed my eyes as I fell backwards, the stranger falling on top of me. I moaned and opened my eyes as I noticed the male had both of his hands on my breasts.

''KYA!'' I yelled as I pushed him off me. He fell backwards and sat up to look at me.

''Wha- Gray?'' I said, suddenly realizing who had just fallen on me.

He looked at me for a few seconds, narrowing his eyes, obviously trying hard to remember. But before he could come to a conclusion, a fireball flew past our heads as we heard someone shouting in the background:

''FIGHT ME, GRAY!'' Natsu yelled as he appeared right behind him, hands on his hips and laughing almost manically.

''YOU IDIOT, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?'' Gray yelled back, standing face to face with him, grabbing him by the shirt.

They started fighting again, completely oblivious to the fact that they had just knocked me down in their brawl. I chuckled and got up, walking around them to enter the guild. Everyone was too busy either chatting, cheering at the fight or, like Nab, choosing a mission from the request board to notice me. I saw a few people I recognized, like Erza, who stomped past me towards the action, obviously too concerned with serving justice to the two supposedly best friends to see me. I saw Macao and Wakaba, arguing about one thing or another that I couldn't really understand. I flinched as I saw Freed, Bickslow and Evergreen sitting at a table in the corner. I frantically looked around, searching for their leader.

''Oh good, he's not here…'' I muttered as I arrived at the bar.

''Who's not here?'' asked the white-haired bartender as she turned around. It took her a few seconds of staring before she literally leapt over the counter and wrapped her arms around my neck.

''AKUMA!'' she yelled. She kept holding me tightly as some people turned towards us, alerted by her sudden outburst.

''Akuma!'' ''Akuma!'' ''Aku-chan!'' I heard multiple voices shout as I became surrounded in an instant. The white-haired girl pulled back and I could see her face, on which tears were making their way towards her chin and to the counter she was perched upon.

''Mira!'' I said as I pulled her back into another hug, now recognizing her. It had been 3 years after all.

I suddenly felt a shiver as a heavy feel of dark magic surrounded us. I heard other people yelp and back off. Mirajane slowly brought her hands to my shoulder, grabbing me tightly so I couldn't back away. She brought her face in front of mine and I finally recognized the old Mira.

''Tell me…'' she said as she smiled even though it was obvious she was extremely pissed, ''Where have you been those 3 years? Why didn't you tell anyone you were leaving?''

I laughed nervously at her question, still trying to pull away, but she would simply dig her fingers deeper into my skin at every attempt.

''Well… That's… I needed… To take a trip?'' I tried, knowing it wasn't gonna fly with the Demon, as I liked to teasingly call her back then.

''FOR 3 YEARS?'' she said, raising her voice but still smiling, ''WITHOUT CALLING OR EVEN WRITING A LETTER?'' she insisted. Uh-oh, I was in trouble.

''Mira, there's a perfectly good explanation for all of this, if you'd just let me go we could talk-'' I tried to bargain as she transformed into her Satan Soul in front of my eyes and leapt towards me as I ran backwards.

''MIRA NOOOOOO!'' I yelled as she pounced on me and started…

Tickling me relentlessly. I was on the ground, her straddling me as tears of laughter ran down my cheeks and I kept yelling for her to stop, to no avail. I pleaded for Cana, who was watching with a mug in her hand, to help me. She started laughing and said:

''Girlfriend, I think you deserve that! Sorry, but endure it for a bit more!''

When Mira was finally done with her ministrations, she transformed back into her pink dress and held her hand out to help me. My ribs hurt from laughing too much and I winced as my pulled myself up.

''Alright, I'll let you down easy for today, but you better explain yourself later!'' Mira threatened as she made her way back behind the bar.

''THAT was letting me down easy? I don't want to imagine what you're capable of when you're serious, Demon!'' I replied teasingly.

''Says the girl who became S-Class at 14.'' she replied as she turned around to look at me. I stuck my tongue out at her and took a seat at the bar. I put my elbows up on the counter and rested my cheeks on my hands. I let out a sigh of contentment. It felt just like before I left. Minus…

''Hey, Mira…'' I said before leaning forward and whispering, ''Where's Laxus?''

She stared at me for a few seconds before adorning a sad expression as she stared at the counter. I started panicking.

''Mira, where is he? Is he okay? What's wrong?'' I asked frantically, expecting the worst.

''Come, let's go upstairs.'' she said as she took my hand and led me to the 2nd floor. I rushed behind her, almost pushing her up in my haste. We sat down on the sofa upstairs, still holding hands, and she recounted the events that happened, how Laxus had become worst after I left, that he had lost his mind and tried to kill everyone in the guild… I listened to her until the end with a blank expression, then I got up silently and started heading towards the stairs.

''Where are you going?'' Mira asked.

''To find him.'' I answered. Mira stood to her feet and grabbed my arm. I stopped and turned around to tell her to let me go.

''Akuma, you can't! Even if you find him, what are you going to do?'' she said, tears welling up in her eyes.

''I'm going to apologize. It's my fault, isn't it? It's because I left. It's because I abandoned him.'' I replied, my voice trembling as I tried my hardest not to cry, not to find myself back where I had been 3 years ago.

''It's not your fault, it's mine.'' I heard a man's voice say, ''It's because I let you leave.''

Master came bouncing up the stairs, as his short legs would have him do.

''Gramps…'' I said as I looked down at him. I saw drops falling to the floor and realized they came from my eyes. I dropped down to my knees and started crying, holding my hands to my face.

Sometimes life gives you a single chance and you blow it.


	5. Be Together

**A/N:** _Hey, my babies! -sticks out her tongue like Bickslow- So this is chapter 5! The great part? Laxus POV! The bad part? Laxus sad :( Basically, all of the flashbacks are happening on the same day/24-48 hours period, but some of them overlap with each other. Like, this chapter overlaps with chapter 3. Except chapter 3 is Akuma's POV and this chapter is Laxus' POV. So it'll give you an idea of how each of them feels about the situation ! As for the progress on this story, I'm still on chapter 13, but I'm ahead on planning, so I might be writing a one-shot tonight instead of continuing with the story. Look forward to it!_

 _Mashima is Fairy Tail's true ring bearer and king of Mordor. All hail Mashima-sama. Don't forget to feed me reviews so I can unlock the eye of Sauron ~_

 **[FLASHBACK/LAXUS POV]**

I yelled her name as she ran through the hallway. I extended my hand towards her to catch her arm just as she jumped through the window and started flying away. I grabbed the window sill to stop myself from running right through it as I looked at her form disappeared into the sky.

''Damn it!'' I muttered as I ran down the stairs, ignoring the brunette calling my name from my apartment.

I slammed the door of the building open and ran frantically towards her apartment. I had to explain to her what happened. It wasn't like that. It was all a misunderstanding. I would never do that to her. I kept repeating those words through my mind to alleviate the crushing guilt I felt as drops of sweat ran across my forehead and were left behind, the cold winter air hitting my face at full force. I ran faster and faster until I reached her apartment building and flung the door open. I bolted up the stairs and reached the door to her apartment, on which I started pounding while yelling her name.

''AKUMA, OPEN THE DAMN DOOR!'' I yelled, alerting the landlady next door who came out and looked at me like I was some kind of psycho. Well, I guess I must have looked like one. I turned to the little old lady, who took a step back and brought her arms up in defense.

''P-please leave!'' she said in a scared voice.

''I need to see the girl who lives here!'' I demanded, distraught.

''Sh-She's not here! She left early and hasn't come back! N-Now please leave, or I-I will call the police!'' the old lady mumbled as menacingly as she could muster.

Without further prompting, I ran back down the stairs and onto the streets. I ran around town, becoming more distressed by the minute as I couldn't find her. I kept running and running around, periodically calling her name as people stared at me in confusion. I eventually came to the front of the guild. Damn, why hadn't I thought of that?! Of course she'd be at the guild! I'm such an imbecile!

I threw the doors open and scanned the room quickly. Not there, not there, not there… I saw Gramps sitting on the counter of the bar, legs crossed, with a mug of beer in his hands. I ran up to him, finally stopping for a second to breathe, as I rested my hands on my knees.

''Gramps, have you seen Akuma?!'' I asked him, stressing.

''I have.'' he replied calmly, sipping on his mug of beer. I sighed deeply, relieved.

''Thank Mavis. Where is she?'' I asked.

''She left.'' he replied, still harboring his usual calm expression.

''What do you mean, she left? Like, on a mission? When is she coming back?'' I sputtered.

''She left on a 10-year mission, Laxus. She isn't coming back anytime soon.'' Gramps answered, still seemingly unaffected, as I grabbed him with both hands by the collar of his shirt and lifted him up by more than a few inches.

''WHAT DO YOU MEAN, ON A 10-YEAR MISSION?! YOU LET HER LEAVE?!'' I almost couldn't control myself. I wanted to punch him in the face, but I knew I'd just end up on the floor in a split second.

''It was her decision. I couldn't stop her.'' he stated. His stoic face was starting to get on my last nerve.

''So you just let her leave alone, like that, on a 10-year mission?! You KILLED her! She's probably not that far away yet, I'm going to stop her-'' I started as I turned around to leave, dropping my grandfather back on the counter. I only made it about halfway through the hall before a giant hand wrapped around me, preventing me to go further or to even move, for that matter.

''HEY OLD MAN, WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM?!'' I yelled at Gramps as I struggled to break free. By this point, everyone in the room was staring at us, all of them probably wondering what was going on. But I didn't care. All I cared about in this moment was her.

''Laxus, she's gone. You can't stop her and I won't let you.'' he tried to reason with me. But there was no reasoning. I sent a warning jolt of lightning through his arm, not strong enough to hurt him, but strong enough to let him know I would if I had to. His face darkened as he brought me closer with his giant hand shrinking back to its original size and dropping me down in front of him.

''I don't know what you did to her, but you should've thought about it beforehand.'' he hissed through his teeth. I had rarely seen him so angry.

In my heart, I knew it was all my fault and no one else's. It was my fault she had left. It was my fault she was sad. It was my fault she had probably been crying, alone... But at the moment, I couldn't bear the pain. I wouldn't admit to myself that I was the cause of her sorrow. I was in complete denial. And so I cracked.

''So you banished my father and now you've sent her away?! What are you trying to do, get rid of everyone I hold dear?!'' I spat angrily at him before I could hold myself back.

I expected him to hit me, to yell at me, to punch me straight in the face, as I would have certainly deserved in that moment. But he didn't. He just sighed and looked at me. I could see the disappointment in his eyes at the low blow I had just thrown his way. And I couldn't take anymore. I turned around and started running. This time, he didn't stop me.

I ran until my legs gave out, I panted until I couldn't breathe, I yelled until my voice wouldn't come out anymore and I cried until I was empty inside.

And I was so empty inside.


	6. Angel

**A/N :** _Hey guys! This is today's chapter! It's a little on the short side and... Yes, I'm sorry, Laxus isn't in it yet! But he will, soon! I promise! And there will be lemony goodness IN THE VERY NEXT CHAPTER! WHICH IS A FLASHBACK! So stay tuned! Good thing I'm typing and not talking or I would be out of breath. I hope this chapter will give you a bit more information about our main character; that was the point. Also, last chapter, I talked about a one-shot in my author note. Well, this one-shot turned into a two-shot now, so... Please wait a bit more!_

 _I don't own Fairy Tail yada yada aye sir! Please don't forget to leave a review, I love reading you guys! It encourages me to work better and faster!_

 **[PRESENT]**

I sighed as I rested my head on the counter of the bar. Mira walked by and stroked my hair.

''If you have time to mope around, why don't you help me with these mugs?'' she asked as she put a tray with 4 mugs in front of my face. I stood up and picked up the tray.

''Why are you so busy? There's no one here; everyone's running around doing jobs to be chosen for the S-class exam.'' I asked, puzzled.

''These are all for Cana.'' she explained, as she ushered me towards the brunette, who still had 2 full mugs in front of her.

''There you go, babe. Don't drink them all at once.'' I teasingly said as I placed the 4 mugs in front of her. She ignored me and kept staring ahead of her, absentmindedly. I waved my hand in front of her face to no avail, so I walked back to Mira, glancing back at Cana.

''Is she alright?'' I inquired.

''If she's chosen this year, it'll be the fifth time.'' she answered, ''She always gets like that around this time of the year.''

So Cana still hadn't made it to S-Class? That was weird. She was definitely one of the strongest mages in the guild and sharp as a whip. She should've been S-Class by now.

The next day, I found myself standing on the stage amongst Mira, Gildarts and Erza as our Master announced the 8 chosen mages who would be eligible to take the S-Class exam: Freed, Natsu, Gray, Cana, Levy, Juvia, Elfman and Mest.

''Did Mest join while I was away?'' I whispered to Mira.

''I think he was always a member of our guild…?'' she wondered, not seeming to really remember him either.

Master then explained that Erza, Guildarts and I would be joining in to try and keep the chosen members from completing the S-Class exam. Mira would just accompany Master and help with other stuff. I heard people in the guild whispering about me. Had I become stronger? What was my magic like, now? Was it even possible to defeat me? I was the 14 year old who had become an S-Class and completed a 10-year mission, after all. I chuckled. Obviously, I would have to go easy on whoever came my way, or they'd never get through me. That, I was confident in.

Master announced we would be leaving in a week, so the examinees had to have their partner chosen by then. It was quickly decided that Bickslow would be partnered with Freed, Happy with Natsu, Loke with Gray, Lucy with Cana, Gajeel with Levy, Lisanna with Juvia, Evergreen with Elfman and Wendy with Mest. I approached the table where Natsu, Gray, Lisanna, Elfman, Lucy, Juvia and Wendy were sitting… And obviously, Happy and Carla too!

''Hey guys!'' I managed to get out as I reached the table before Natsu cut me.

''FIGHT ME, AKUMA!'' he blurted out, standing on his chair, waving his fists in the air in front of me.

''Maybe on Tenroujima, Natsu!'' I giggled as he sat back down, dejected.

I looked over at Lucy, Wendy and Juvia.

''Hey, ladies! I don't think I've had time to greet you last week. I'm Akuma Cross. I hope we'll get along!'' I chirped and smiled widely at them.

''Hi, I'm Lucy!'' the blonde said, ''Mira told me about you. You were gone for 3 years! I only joined a few months ago…'' she added as she rubbed the back of her head shyly.

''Ah, I'm Wendy!'' I turned my head to look at the little girl sitting at the end of the table, ''and this is Carla. We're also new to the guild.''

''Wendy is the wind dragon slayer!'' Carla added, eyeing me suspiciously.

''Waaaah, that's nice!'' I said excitedly, ''and you…'' I started, before turning my eyes to the blue-haired woman sitting next to Wendy, who was glaring at me while muttering.

''Love rival… Love rival… Love rival…'' she repeated, over and over again.

''It's… Nice to meet you, I guess?'' I tried, cocking my head to the side, still smiling.

''What kind of magic do you use, Akuma-san?'' Wendy asked politely.

''Haha, you can drop the honorifics, Wendy! And I use… Angel slaying magic.'' I responded.

''I've never heard of it. What kind of magic is that?'' Lucy asked, puzzled.

''It's a bit like dragon slaying magic, except it was created to defeat angels.'' I answered.

''Aren't angels supposed to be good?'' Wendy asked, confused, her eyebrows furrowing as she tried to process this information.

''Mmm, some of them are, some of them aren't. Just like dragons.'' I explained, hoping my comparison made sense.

''So were you raised by angels?'' Wendy added, seemingly interested.

I smiled softly at the memories of my childhood.

''Actually, I wasn't.'' I continued, ''Master found me in an alley when I was 3. I have no memories of anything that happened before that. As far as I'm concerned, Master has always been like a father to me.''

''Wow… I didn't know angel slayers existed! That's so exciting!'' Wendy exclaimed, her eyes wide and a big smile on her face. So cute.

I giggled as I turned my head to the side to see Freed and Bickslow staring at me. As I raised my hand to wave at them, Freed quickly turned his head and started walking away. Bickslow looked at him, then back at me, and gave me a puzzled look (as far as I could tell through his helmet). He shrugged and followed the green haired mage, who had already reached the door. It wasn't hard for me to see why Freed was upset with me. Not only was it my fault Laxus had been banished from Fairy Tail, he had probably told his team about how I had abandoned him. They were right to be pissed.

After saying bye to everyone at the table, I made my way towards the door, hands in my jacket's pockets, until I heard a voice call my name.

''Akuma!'' I turned around, surprised to see Evergreen waving at me, smiling and heading my way.

Well, maybe they weren't all pissed at me, after all.


	7. Get On Your Knees

**A/N:** _I literally just came back from a conference meeting and I have to leave again in 15 minutes to go do a presentation about my internship. But when I saw someone else had left a review, I decided, fuck it, I need to update before I go! So here it is, the long-awaited lemony goodness ~ It's my favorite chapter up to now. I'm curious at the feedback I'll get because it's... Unusual. But everything will make sense, not to worry. Also, about this one-shot I told you guys about in the last chapter... It turned into a two-shot. I'll probably publish it this weekend! Look forward to it!_

 _WARNING : This chapter contains what might be considered rape for some people. It's NOT rape, I repeat, it is NOT rape, it's just very rough sex, but I just want to make sure no one has a panic attack or feels uncomfortable reading this. I will put a tl;dr at the end of the chapter so you can read it to catch the important points if you think you might be triggered by this chapter's content._

 _Yet again, I don't own Fairy Tail or Laxus' god-like body, Mashima does and he's the absolute best. Thank you Mashima for making Fairy Tail. And thank you to all my readers for the favs, follows and reviews. Keep on keeping on ! ~_

 **[FLASHBACK]**

He smelled musky. And a little like petrichor. A rainy day after a sunny day. An oasis in the middle of a desert. A thunderstorm in winter. A windy summer day at the beach. I couldn't really decide. Maybe like an old house?

''Old…'' I muttered, half-asleep, as I nuzzled my face against the pillow. I felt something warm press against my back, strong arms around my small body, pulling me closer.

''Oy, who are you calling old?'' Laxus whispered in my ear, sounding amused, but also maybe a little insulted.

''Hmmm…'' I moaned as his breath traveled down the back of my neck.

He propped himself up on his elbow and rested his other elbow on the other side of my head, pinning my arms on the pillow as he towered over me.

''I'll show you what this dirty old man can do…'' he whispered against my lips before capturing them with his. Almost immediately, he brushed his tongue over my lips, demanding entrance, which I granted happily. That was enough to wake me up fully. I slowly pulled my wrists out of his grasp and brought my hands around the back of his neck. I pulled him closer and ran my fingers through his hair as our tongues intertwined, fighting for dominance. But I think I was winning.

Laxus started roaming his hands all over my body, earning moans of pleasure on my part through our heated kisses. I pulled him even closer, in the deluded hope that our bodies would merge together… Oh but they could. And they had, just the night before. It seemed Laxus had the same thoughts as I did, because I could feel his erection pressing against my core through his boxers and my panties. He brought his right hand under my tank top and lifted it up, tugging on it when it wouldn't go up anymore. I got the message and pushed on his chest so he'd sit up. When he did, I did too and took off my top, as he did his. Why hello there. I unconsciously brought my mouth closer to his chest, resting my hands on his abs, and gave it a quick lick. I heard Laxus groan and felt his hands wrap around my waist.

I suddenly had an idea. I didn't know if he'd like it. Heck, I wasn't even sure if it was something weird or not. After all, I had my first time the night before! It's not like I didn't know about sex before then, but I sure wasn't 100% clear on every single detail… So I took a chance.

I used my right leg, which was free, to push him to the side and he fell on the bed on his back. He had a surprised look on his face as I straddled him. I bit my lips, unsure whether or not I should continue. But just as I was about to abort my mission, which had turned out to be even more dangerous than an S-Class mission in my mind, I felt his member hardening even more and poking at me through our clothes. He grabbed my ass with both hands and grinned.

''Ooh, feisty. I like that.'' And that's when I decided I was going to do this for sure. I bent down and started kissing his neck. I tried and gave it a lick, to which he growled appreciatively in response. I started trailing kisses down his chest and abs, all the way down to his boxers. When I arrived, I started stroking his rock hard member through the flimsy cloth that was covering it. I looked up at him to see his expression and I almost gasped. He was panting and staring at me with a pleading look in his eyes. I looked back down and carefully liberated his cock from its confinement within the undergarments. I looked back up at him and saw he had his forearm over his eyes. He was still panting heavily and clutching the sheets with his other hand. It turned me on beyond reason to see him in such a state, but I decided to tease him a little longer.

''Look at me.'' I ordered him, in a tone I didn't know myself capable of. And I guess he didn't either, because he instantly lifted his arm and looked at me shockingly. I wasn't sure whether the great Laxus Dreyar was aroused or angry that he was being ordered around; his eyes wouldn't tell. But one way or the other, I wanted him to look at me. I wanted him to know that I was here. Me, Akuma Cross. And no one else.

I kept my gaze locked with his as I held his thick cock and opened my mouth, then ran my tongue all the way up, starting at the base. I then swirled it around the tip, earning myself a deep moan on his part. Without further ado, I inserted his whole length inside my mouth. For a second, I thought I was going to choke as the tip of his member reached deep inside my throat. But I contained myself and started sucking up and down, rolling my tongue around, or at least as much as I could, given how little space there was left in my mouth with his dick inside of it. I wasn't a cock expert or anything, but if I had to guess, he was definitely bigger than average. It had hurt a lot when he had taken my virginity last night, but the pain had quickly turned into pleasure, and pain itself had even become pleasurable.

As I kept working on his shaft, he brought his hand to my head, caressing my hair.

''Akuma… Ugh… I'm gonna-'' he panted. At his words, I released his manhood from my mouth with a popping sound. He grunted in displeasure at the loss of sensation and tried pushing my head back.

''Nuh-huh.'' I said teasingly, ''I'm not gonna let you orgasm without me.''

I took off my panties and straddled him, rubbing his cock against my pussy. I moaned seductively as I rubbed my clit up and down his length, biting my lips, holding back the desire to just shove it all in at once. But I held back, carrying on with my initial plan.

''Akuma…'' he groaned, looking at me with pleading eyes.

''What is it, Laxus- _kun_?'' I teased him, insisting on the honorific, ''I can't know what you want if you don't say it clearly…''

''Put it in…'' he asked through pants, grabbing my ass firmly and trying to move me higher so he could enter.

I was still testing to see how far I could take this, so slowly, ever so slowly, I pulled my chest down to rest on his, my mouth mere centimeters away from his ear. Then I whispered…

' _'Beg._ ''

It was almost instantaneous. It happened so quickly I'm not even sure it was legit. It definitely went again some kind of unwritten foreplay rule. I found myself on my back, with him on top of me, both arms pinned on top of my head by one of his hands, the other grabbing my hip so hard I winced. He looked at me with eyes clouded with both lust and anger.

''I don't _beg_.'' he whispered darkly as he slammed his whole length inside of me at once, causing me to gasp loudly and arch my back. He immediately started moving roughly, fast and hard, releasing my hands to play with my tits, twisting my nipples between his fingers and pulling on them. I cried out both in pain and pleasure, but he silenced me quickly with his mouth, kissing me as roughly as he was having me. I arched my back, feeling the tip of his manhood pushing against the entrance of my womb and crushing it. After a few more pumps, I felt a strong surge of pleasure run through my body as I orgasmed, my walls clamping down on his cock.

''Aaah… Laxus…'' I moaned loudly.

As I was at the peak of my orgasm, he gave one last push and released himself inside of me, his sperm filling me up inside. We stayed this way for a few minutes, both panting heavily, his elbows resting on each side of me, his head nuzzled in the crook of my neck. He eventually removed himself from inside me, slowly, and rolled over to his side of the bed. His side… Did that mean there was also a _my side_? I wondered as I finally regained my breath. I turned my body to the side to look at him, but he had his forearm on his face yet again, hiding his eyes. But I knew him well enough to know something was wrong. I could tell just by the change in the atmosphere. I guess after being with someone for over 15 years, you just know them that well.

''I'm sorry…'' he mumbled, or so I thought I heard him say.

''What?'' I asked, not sure I heard him right. I mean, it was common knowledge that Laxus Dreyar didn't apologize. Now that I thought about it, wasn't there a lot of things he didn't do?

''I'm sorry…'' he repeated, louder this time, gritting his teeth.

''About… What?'' I inquired, confused as to why he would apologize like that. He sighed deeply, obviously getting annoyed with my lack of understanding and at having to explain himself. He then removed his forearm from his face and turned to his side to look at me. Were his eyes watery? His eyes were watery. Oh Mavis. Was he gonna cry? Oh Mavis, he was crying. He hasn't cried since he was 10, that one time when slipped on an ice patch created by Gray and broke his leg. He hadn't cried in 10 years. Why was he crying now? Why? Why? Why? I started panicking and my heart rate went through the roof as I fumbled with my hands, not sure what to do.

Before I could find an appropriate response, he grabbed me and pulled me into a tight embrace. I was stunned, but wrapped my free arm around him and stroked his back silently, awaiting an explanation for his sudden change in behavior.

''I'm terrible. I hurt you. I didn't mean to. I'm so sorry. I'll never hurt you again. Please, don't leave me…'' he whispered in quick succession, his voice trembling and tears still running down his cheeks onto the pillow. I backed up a little to see his face and looked at him with a shocked expression.

''You didn't hurt me. I teased you and I went too far. It was just payback for what I did to you.'' I reasoned as he stared at me, ''Plus… It's not as if I didn't like it…'' I finally added bashfully.

''I sometimes question whether you're an idiot or you're just too incredibly kind.'' he stated bluntly.

''Now _that_ hurts me.'' I answered, as I pouted, turning my back to him.

''That's why I love you…'' he replied, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me back against his chest.

''…Huh?'' I squeaked as I started blushing madly, ''C-Can you say it again…?''

''Which part?'' he replied teasingly.

''Y-you know which part!'' I blurted out.

'' _Beg_.'' he whispered in my ear. I threw my body around, facing him, eyes wide. I didn't care having to beg. I just wanted to hear him say it again, and again, and again. To me, and myself only. I never wanted to imagine him saying those words to anyone else, because I wouldn't. He would be the only one, always. He was my hero.

''Please-'' I started, but he cut me off with a kiss. When he pulled back, he brought me closer to his chest and murmured into my ear:

'' _I love you_.''

tl;dr: Akuma wakes up with Laxus in bed. She decides to tease him a little and Laxus gets a bit rough during sex. He starts crying, apologizes and tells Akuma he loves her, which she asks him to say again. He asks her to please not leave him. She's not mad at him for being rough. (I don't want to make this too long; if you'd like a more descriptive tl;dr without reading the chapter, PM me and I'll gladly do it for you.)


	8. Am I Wrong

**A/N:** _Hey lovelies! This is chapter 8! Sorry for getting it out so late today; I was super busy doing my tax report. Anyway, I'm really proud of this chapter, for some reason. I think it's pretty much the funniest and the saddest thing I've ever written at the same time. I love it. And I love my OC. And I love you guys. I'm just feeling really lovey-dovey today, ha ha! I won't be able to get another chapter out until Wednesday because I'm going out on Monday and Tuesday night, so I hope this satisfies you until then._

 _As always, the wonderful Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail and don't forget to review and fav ~ 3_

 **[PRESENT]**

''Akuma!'' Evergreen shouted as she approached me, still smiling brightly and waving.

''Ever, what's up?'' I asked, intrigued. She gave me a devilish grin that I knew all too well. Something _super_ bad was just about to come out of that woman's mouth. I knew her too well. After all, we had spent many years together before I left and I doubted she had changed all that much during my absence...

''We're having a sleepover at Fairy Hills tonight. My room at 8. You'll come, right?'' she replied, still smiling. Something was really fishy, but I had no time to figure out what exactly before Cana came up behind her, slurring about sleepovers, parties, girls united and other drunken nonsense. Dear Mavis.

''… Guess I can't say no to that?'' I hesitantly replied, not too convinced myself. These women were gonna be the death of me.

''Great! Then I'll see you tonight!'' Ever declared as she made her way back inside the guild, pushing Cana towards the table where Natsu and the others were still sitting. The drunken mage was still slurring her words and stumbling around dangerously until she crashed next to Lucy, waving her mug in her face as she started singing some nonsensical lyrics off-tune. They might be the death of me, but fuck me if I hadn't missed them, I thought, smiling.

As night came, I found myself in my pajamas, sitting in a circle with the other girls on the floor of Evergreen's room. Levy and Lucy were talking about the latest book they had read, Wendy was getting scolded by Carla for something or another, Erza and Mira were having an intense discussion on strawberry shortcake, Evergreen and Bisca were flipping through a fashion magazine and Juvia was sitting in the corner, holding a plush toy that weirdly resembled Gray, and muttering something about love rivals… Lisanna, who was probably the most normal one amongst them, had stayed behind with Elfman to cook him dinner. The poor guy had no idea how to cook and even if he tried, it'd probably be too much of a hazard with those massive hands of his. Bless Lisanna's beautiful soul; she really is a saint... Or maybe she's smarter than me and actually found a good excuse to release herself from this _actually_ hazardous situation. Yeah, I still wasn't too convinced about this whole sleepover thing...

I turned to look at Cana, who was… Well, she was drinking, wasn't she? As soon as she saw me looking at her, she stood up and went to the middle of the circle.

''LADIES, LADIES!'' she announced, ''Let's play a game.'' Oh Mavis. Games with Cana never ended well, ''We're going to play _Never Have I Ever_. I'll explain. It's a drinking game.'' _Of course_ , ''One after the other, we'll say something that we have never done. If the others have done it before, they have to drink.'' she kept explaining as she handed everyone except Wendy and Carla a mug of beer. She instead opted to, wisely, hand them both a mug of chocolate milk, ''For example, if I say… Never have I ever… Been sober for a whole week in the past year…'' she stared at us expectantly as we all obviously took a sip of our beer, ''There you go! That's the game! Alright, your turn Luce!'' I'm pretty sure _that_ was what my senses were warning me about.

''Umm… Never have I ever… Eaten mud?'' Lucy tried, looking over at Cana for approval. A couple of us, myself included, took a sip. I guess they must have, like me, fell to the ground during a battle and gotten mud inside their mouth. I considered it to be close enough to eating mud.

''Alright, Levy, your turn!'' Cana chirped excitedly.

''Ummmmmmm… Never have I ever… Ummmmm…'' she wondered out loud, ''Never have I ever kissed a guy?'' she said tentatively, smiling shyly, cheeks reddening at the thought. _Oh, and we all knew who she was thinking of_. It hadn't taken me more than a few days to figure out she had the hots for a certain dragon slayer who had recently joined the guild. The girl was so cute, but so easily readable.

I sighed as I took a sip of my beer, watching Bisca, Evergreen and Cana do the same. At least I wasn't the only one. Boy, these new Fairy girls were tame. I wasn't really judging Mira and Erza; I knew how they were.

''Alright, now it's getting interesting! Wendy, go ahead!'' Cana exclaimed as she raised her mug in her air.

''Never have I ever… Read a porn magazine?'' she mumbled quietly. We all stared at her for a few seconds, then at each other, until we all decided fuck it and drank at the same time. Wendy blushed madly as we all laughed.

''Oh Wendy, you're so innocent!'' Mira murmured as she brought Wendy's head to her chest in an embrace, ''All right, my turn! Never have I ever… Been into BDSM.''

''Girlfriend, that's a lie and you well know it! For that, you have to drink 3 times!'' Cana exclaimed at Mira's blatant lie. Mira took it well and laughed, chugging 3 big gulps of her beer. This game might be fun, after all.

''It is now my turn! I shall utter a statement as no other statement has been uttered before!'' Erza proclaimed, preparing us for something that was bound to be incredible… Or incredibly stupid, ''Never have I ever owned a pet parrot!'' Welp, it ended up being the latter. All of us kind of looked at each other, wondering if one of us might have possibly owned such a pet, but to no avail. Erza smugly sat down, triumphant that no one had done such a thing as owning an exotic bird as a pet. We all stayed silent for a few seconds, unsure if we were supposed to laugh or something.

''Aaaaalright… Bisca!'' Cana continued, trying to diffuse the awkward atmosphere that had been brought about by Erza's weirdness.

''Mmmm… Let's see… Never have I ever masturbated!'' she exclaimed, happy with her choice of statement. All of us except Wendy took a big gulp of beer to alleviate our shame. By this point, I had drank at almost every round, and I was getting pretty tipsy. I could see it was the same for Ever and well... Cana always drinks too much.

''That has to be a lie, but I have no way to verify it, so I'll let it go this once.'' Cana slurred, ''Alright Juvia, bring it on girl!''

''Never has Juvia ever loved a man other than Gray-sama!'' she uttered dreamingly. We all kind of looked at each other, silently agreeing that none of us had ever harbored feelings of love towards Gray, and took a sip.

''My turn! Never have I ever had anal sex!'' Ever yelled at the top of her lungs, obviously more than a little tipsy, as I had thought earlier. We all stared at each other for a while, waiting to see if someone had done it, or more like, if anyone was going to admit to it. A few giggles could be heard as we all tried to keep straight faces until...

''Ah, fuck it!'' Cana finally said as she chugged the remainder of her mug. We all exploded into fits of laughter, as Cana tried to explain herself through words that made no sense and laughing herself, clutching her stomach with both hands, as she messily tried to get out of her predicament.

''Alright alright!'' she choked, still laughing, ''Akuma, do something for Mavis' sake!''

''Okay okay! Girls… Never have I ever…'' I tried to continue through muffled laughter, ''Never have I ever licked someone's butthole!'' I cried out as my friends and I all fell to the floor, laughing hysterically and holding our ribs. Through the corner of my eyes, I saw Cana reach for another mug of beer and take a big chug. When she saw me staring at her, my mouth hanging wide open, she started laughing so hard the beer came out of her nose, which, in return, only made us laugh harder.

''Oh my Mavis Cana, what the fuck?!'' I managed to ask her through tears as I tried to catch my breath.

''Hey, either you get kinky or you don't, girlfriend!'' she tried to defend herself, still trying to take a sip of her beer through chuckles to redeem herself for the one that had flown out of her nose a few seconds earlier.

''I know how to get kinky, but I didn't think licking buttholes was part of the deal!'' I replied, wiping the tears from my eyes as I let out a couple more giggles. I tried to sit back straight, propping myself up on my elbows, but I was having a hard time as the room seemed to spin a little around me. I was way past drunk. I was completely plastered by this point, so were all of my female guild mates. I don't even understand how Cana can drink anymore. She hasn't even gone to the bathroom!

''Oh, so you know how to get kinky, eh? With whom?'' Cana asked in a flirtatious voice as she seductively crawled towards me like a cat.

''Nice try, Cana.'' I replied drily, finally managing to sit up straight as she reached me.

''Alright then.'' she grabbed my mug and all but yelled, ''Never have I ever had sex with Laxus Dreyar!''

The room went quiet. Everyone else was staring at us. My eyes widened and I opened my mouth to speak as what she had just said sunk into my inebriated brain, but I had no words. It must've done the same for her, because she suddenly backed up a little and opened her mouth as to say something, but closed it just as quickly. I could feel tears welling up into my eyes, but I didn't want to cry. Not in front of them. So I ripped the mug from her hand and chugged it all in one go. I stood up quickly, feeling the floor spin under my feet, and threw the mug on the ground. For a second, I felt like I might puke, but then I realized it was more like word-vomit. I wanted to yell at her. I wanted to scream. I wanted to shout and cry until nothing else would come out, like I had done that night, 3 years ago. I stopped myself, swallowing back the flow of words that I had been about to utter. I turned around to exit the room, slamming the door shut behind me. I stood outside for a few seconds as I felt tears stream down my face and explode onto the hardwood floor beneath me. The room was still dead quiet. I made my way down the corridor quickly and exited the building, walking rapidly through the streets of Magnolia. I could feel the cold air slap my face and freeze my tears in place. My feet were numb. I found myself drifting back to that night, 3 years ago. Again, I had to hold back the urge to scream and cry, to run away without looking back. I stirred myself towards my apartment mindlessly, pushing away the invading thoughts until my mind was nothing but blankness.

When I arrived at my apartment, I realized I was still in my pajamas and barefoot. I felt my feet start to unfreeze. It hurt. I walked into my living room, stopping to look at myself in the mirror. Terrible. I brought my hand to the cross hanging from my neck and gave it a strong pull. The chain didn't break. Of course it wouldn't, huh? I made my way to my bedroom, throwing myself on the bed, not bothering to get under the covers. And I cried. For what seemed like hours, I wept and wailed, alternating between holding a pillow and holding my body with my arms, digging my fingers into my biceps. The pain reminded me that I was still alive. I had decided that I wouldn't die. And what for? Naught. I had come back for him, but I had no right. I wasn't his, and he wasn't mine.

I wrapped my arms around myself at the hips, digging my fingers deeper into my skin, drawing blood in a few places.

Imagining they were his hands.


	9. But I Am A Good Girl

**A/N: Hey guys ! Another flashback for you here! I've been a bit busy this week so I couldn't upload nor write for the past 2 days, but starting tomorrow I'll be writing more. I already have plenty of ideas for the rest, so look forward to it ;) Also, this is the first part of a 2 parts lemon. This first half is the soft/mushy part and the next half will have the actual lemon. But next chapter will be present, so the lemon will be in chapter 11. Anyways, you guys aren't only reading this for the lemons, are you?! -teasing tone-**

 **As always, Hiro Mashima is my dancing queen, he owns Fairy Tail and shoobidi shoobidoo bop. Yeaaaaaaaah. Don't forget to leave magnificent reviews for me to read at work during my downtimes!**

 **[FLASHBACK]**

''Happy birthday, Aku-chan!'' Bickslow said, walking over to me, ''Happy birthday! Happy birthday! Happy birthday!'' his totems repeated after him, flying all around the table I was sitting at in the guild hall.

''Thanks!'' I replied cheerily. I turned around in my seat to grab my mug of water but instead bumped my arm into it and spilled it all over the floor. I hurriedly got on my knees and picked up the mug, frantically looking around for something to wipe the water with, when my vision turned gray. Am I going blind?! I'm not that old! I brought my hand to my face and pulled on the cloth that had been dropped on my head. I looked up to see Laxus standing behind me, staring at me with what I could only assume was a look of disappointment.

''You're so clumsy; it's a miracle you've made it 17 years without natural selection taking care of you.'' he stated bluntly as he took a seat next to Bickslow. I pouted at him as I wiped the water off the floor. Couldn't he _at least_ start with happy birthday?

''Akuma!'' I heard behind me as I got back up from the floor and sat down on the bench, right in front of Laxus. Freed and Evergreen made their way towards me, all smiles. Freed pulled out a small green box from inside his pocket and handed it to me.

''Happy birthday!'' he said, ''This is from the Thunder God tribe!'' he added happily. I took the small box from his hands and opened it. Inside it were beautiful golden lightning-shaped earrings.

''Wow… I… T-Thank you!'' I stuttered, my repertory of words nowhere near complete enough to express how thankful I felt. I stood up and grabbed Ever and Freed by the neck, hugging them both. Bickslow came up and hugged me from behind, all of us laughing at our ridiculousness. I then turned and walked around the table towards Laxus. I bent down and hugged him tightly from behind, kissing his cheek. I knew he hated that, or any public display of affection, for that matter. It had been that way ever since we were little. As I pulled away and started walking back towards my side of the table, he grabbed my wrist, pulling on my arm to make me sit next to him.

''Meet me at my place at 8.'' he whispered into my ear as the others were too busy joking around to notice. I looked at him puzzlingly as he pushed me on the back, forcing me to stand back up. I went over to Laxus' place frequently, but this time it was… Weird? Not like the other times? Or maybe I was just reading too much into it. Yeah, that was probably it. He was probably just gonna have me fix a hole in one of his shirts or explain to him how to make pasta... For the 6th time.

* * *

''Thanks for the meal!'' I said to no one in particular as I sat in front of Gramps, finishing up my last piece of the cake he had bought, celebrating both my birthday and Christmas. When I said birthday, what I really meant was the day that Gramps found me back when I was 3: December 24th. At that time, I remembered my age, but not my birthdate. So every year, we had pretended like my actual birthday was on Christmas Eve. Gramps always made sure to buy a cake and we'd eat it together with Laxus. Until a couple of years ago, when he became ''too cool'' to spend Christmas with his grandfather. But not me. I always had Christmas Eve supper with Gramps.

''Are you leaving already?'' Gramps asked as I stood up and gathered my bag.

''Yep! I'm going to Laxus'.'' I answered happily, swinging my tote bag over my right shoulder.

''I see. Have fun, then.'' he replied, smiling warmly at me.

''I will!'' I waved goodbye as I made my way out of the guild and onto the streets of Magnolia. It was snowing. It had snowed all day actually. The ground and the buildings were covered in a thick layer of snow. Kids were running through the streets, throwing snowballs around. People were walking around hastily, finishing up the last preparations for the night. I rubbed my hands together and blew into them, hoping to warm them up. I picked up my pace, my legs starting to get cold. Maybe a dress wasn't the best clothing choice in this weather. At least I had my boots and jacket.

I quickly arrived at Laxus' apartment and made my way up the stairs towards the second floor. When I knocked on the door, it only took a second for him to open the door. It was as if he had been waiting for me right in front of the door!

''Hey. You're early.'' he commented nonchalantly.

''But you were still waiting for me, weren't you?'' I asked teasingly, smirking at him. He looked away, ignoring my comment. I took off my boots, put my bag on the living room table and sat on the couch. I took off my jacket. Laxus' apartment was warm. A few minutes later, he came out of the kitchen holding 2 mugs, which he put on the table. I went to grab one and he stopped me.

''Nope, that one's mine. You get water.'' he stated as he reached for the mug in front of me. I picked it up before him and brought it to my face to smell it. Beer, of course. I grinned at him as he eyed me suspiciously and I took a big gulp.

''Oy, what are you doing? This isn't for little kids.'' he complained as he reached for the mug I was still drinking from. I lifted it up in the air away from his reach and laughed. He got up to reach it and as I got up to pull the mug further away from him, I tripped backwards, latching onto his shirt with my free hand in my fall. I closed my eyes and next thing I knew, the mug had fallen to the floor and spilled, and Laxus was on top of me, lips mere inches away from mine. We stared at each other and for a second, I thought I saw his face inching closer to mine, at which point I closed my eyes, expecting things I shouldn't have. Instead, I was rewarded with a grunt and a sigh as Laxus got back up. Oops.

''Goes to support what I said earlier. You really are clumsy. How are you even an S-Class mage?'' he scolded as he headed for the kitchen to get a towel to clean up my mess. All the while, I just laid down on the ground, holding my hands to my face. I could feel my cheeks burning up. What was I even thinking? I was in way over my head! As if Laxus was going to kiss me! No way! He was the biggest player in town, but he wasn't ever going to lay a hand on me. No, he viewed me more as… A little sister, perhaps? As I kept pondering on Laxus' feelings towards me, he came back and saw I hadn't moved an inch.

''You can get up, you know.'' he stated, ''Actually, you should probably get up if you want your birthday present.'' I bolted upwards immediately at the promise of a present.

''I-I have something for you too!'' I stuttered as I knelt next to the table and searched through my bag for the item in question. A few seconds later, I produced a small yellow box wrapped in a white ribbon. I handed it to him happily. He sat down on the floor next to me and opened the box, then looked at me with a confused look.

''Wow… It's… It's a… An…'' he rambled, ''Okay, what is it?'' he finally asked as he pulled the red bracelet out of the box. I chuckled and lifted my arm in front of his face, showing him the same thread bracelet hanging on my wrist.

''It's a friendship bracelet! And it's red. It's the red string of friendship!'' I lied, grinning, though it wasn't like Laxus would know the actual meaning behind the red string of fate.

''Red string of friendship, huh…'' he muttered as he looked down at the bracelet, ''What if I don't wanna wear it?'' I pouted.

''How mean! You have to wear it! I made it with love!'' I blurted out, not really thinking. He looked at me with a funny look, probably thinking I was crazy. And overbearing. Maybe like a mom, after all? Nah, I'm not mature enough. And too clumsy.

''Alright, alright. I'll wear it.'' he agreed, ''Only if you wear mine.'' he added as he handed me a similar box as I had given him, but pink in color. I opened it only to find…

''A ring? Is that a ring?'' I pulled out the tiny golden circle, holding it between my thumb and pointer finger, staring at it in awe. I think my mouth was slightly hanging open. There might've also been a bit of drool coming out. But I wouldn't know. I was too enthralled with the ring to take notice.

''It's the red ring of fate.'' he said jokingly, leaning his cheek against his hand, his elbow resting on the table.

''It's not even red!'' I argued, but put it on my pointer finger on my right hand nonetheless. I stared at it for a long time, holding my hand in the air in front of me, with what was probably a really stupid face until I finally looked up at Laxus, who was smiling at me. Not grinning, not smirking, not anything else. Smiling. When did Laxus Dreyar smile? Never, that's when. I saw it as a rare opportunity to throw my arms around his neck and hug him tightly. To my surprise, he wrapped his arms around me and hugged me back. I don't think he has hugged me once ever since I was like, 6. I pulled my head back to look at his face, but he pushed my head back against his shoulder with his hand.

''Just… Stay like that a little longer…'' he mumbled.

''Why?'' I asked, confused.

''If you don't like it, you can pull away.'' he simply stated. But I didn't. I stayed exactly as we were. Because truth be told, I really did like it. _A lot_. After a few minutes, I heard him take a deep breath and he pulled away, looking me in the eyes.

''Same rule. If you don't like it, you can pull away.'' he repeated. I stared at him, unsure of what he meant. That's when he brought his hands to my face, cupped my cheeks and closed the gap between our lips. My eyes went wide with surprise as I considered what was happening. Laxus was kissing me! _Laxus was kissing me_! And it wasn't an accident. It wasn't a dream. It wasn't a weird fantasy playing out in my mind. He was _actually_ kissing me! He rubbed my cheek with his thumb as he tried to deepen the kiss, licking my lips with his tongue. I gasped in shock, which he took as an opportunity to slide his tongue into my mouth. Come on, Akuma, come on. You're being an idiot right now. You're just gaping like a fish. He's not gonna want to kiss you anymore if you're terrible at it! I braced myself and closed my eyes, opting to just feel the moment and see if I could do better. I started kissing him back and swirling my tongue around with his, fighting for dominance. I slowly rested my hands on the back of his head and started casually playing with his hair, running my fingers through it and pulling his face closer to mine. Now, we're talking! Much better, Akuma. Good girl.

He broke the kiss for a second as I gasped for air, having forgotten I maybe needed to breathe...

''Let's move to the bedroom…'' he stated, though his tone implied he still wanted an answer.

''Yes.''


	10. Summer

**A/N: Hey my pumpkins! Another chapter out! I've been lazy with writing this week so it's great that I had so many chapters written last week already. But I'm getting back to it, so there should be no interruptions, lest I become lazy again -chuckles-. So this chapter is a bit boring, but it's like a bridge, right? Can't cross the river without a bridge. And I promise, the other side of that river is full of surprises and excitement! Look forward to that!**

 **As per usual, me no own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima own, yes, he do. Very do. No forget to review, me likey!**

 **[PRESENT]**

A ray of light disturbed my peaceful sleep as I realized I had forgotten to close the curtains the night before. I shoved a pillow over my face and grunted. What time is it? I looked over at the clock on my night table and saw it was only 6:03. Superb. As if days weren't already long enough. But today, I couldn't dwindle in bed and pretend to be doing something important around town until nighttime, then sit alone in a grungy old bar and drink until I couldn't feel the pain anymore. No, not today. Because today, we were leaving for the S-Class exam at Tenroujima island. Erza, Mira, Gildarts and I were leaving a day before the others to prepare the exam. Master and the others would follow the next day.

I all but crawled my way to the bathroom, where I opted to run a hot bath to try and numb the pain I was feeling from my hangover. And it worked. Well, the physical aspect of it at least. I lazily washed my hair and submerged my head underwater to get rid of the shampoo. I lingered underwater until I couldn't hold my breath anymore, liking the feeling. When I was underwater, it felt like the space around me was emptier than I was, making me feel fuller in return. I couldn't hear anything around me except the sound of my own heartbeat as it resonated inside of me. My arms and legs felt heavy, like I was made of lead.

I emerged from the bath water with a loud gasp, grasping for air. I rested my head against the wall for a few minutes, then decided I was clean enough. I hopped out of the bath and wrapped a towel around my body. I then marched solemnly to the glass door in my living room leading to the balcony. I slid it open and a fresh winter breeze came pouring in. I breathed in deeply and out slowly. Today was going to be a good day, I decided, trying to convince myself in the process.

* * *

As I walked towards the guild, I subconsciously reduced my pace the closer I got, to the point where I was dragging my feet in front of the door. It had been a week since the sleepover incident and I hadn't gone to the guild since then. Were they going to be mad at me? I had effectively crashed the party with my temper tantrum. For a second, I thought how I must've gotten this bad temper from Laxus. I chuckled at the thought, not noticing the doors opening in front of me.

''AKUMA!'' I jumped back defensively, startled at the arms suddenly wrapping themselves around me, and lost my footing in the process, falling on my back, the intruder still on top of me. It seems I had made it a habit of getting assaulted in front of the guild. Another bad habit.

The individual who had not-so-gently jumped me lifted themselves up with their hands to straddle me. I blinked a couple of times.

''Cana?'' I asked, now questioning my drunken memory of a week earlier. Had we not fought like I thought we had?

''Akuma, where were you? We were so worried!'' she scolded, crossing her hands over her chest.

''I… I…'' I managed to stutter before she pulled me up by the shoulders to sit, wrapping her arms around me and crushing me between her breasts.

''I'm sorry.'' she whispered, ''I shouldn't have said those horrible things to you. Will you forgive me?''

''I… Of course, I mean… I'm sorry for crashing the party… I didn't mean to act like that…'' I articulated as best as I could with my face smooshed between her tits. She finally let go of her asphyxiating hold on me and got up, extending her arm to help me up as she bore a huge grin on her face.

''That's it, girlfriend! Let's rock this!'' she declared, pulling me up.

A few hours later, I bid my friends farewell as Erza, Mira, Gildarts and I hopped on a boat en route towards Tenroujima.

It was hot. _Way_ hot. You wouldn't believe it was the middle of winter. Erza was still comfortable in her armor, the sun shining upon it. At this point, I was pretty sure you could cook an egg on it if you wanted. Gildarts was staring into the distance, also sporting his usual brown cloak. Mira and I were lying down on our beach towels in the middle of the boat, wearing nothing but a bikini, which, if you wanted my opinion, was still too much cloth in this weather.

''I think I'm gonna melt…'' Mira moaned, fanning herself with her right hand.

''I'm gonna turn into ice cream and get eaten by Happy…'' I added, fanning myself with both my hands.

''We're almost there.'' Erza said. She was sitting at the table, resting her chin on her hand, which was covered in her metallic gloves. How was the thing not scalding hot?!

After another half hour, we reached the island. We all got off the boat and explored the surroundings.

''Master said to establish camp right here.'' Mira said, pointing to the map in her hand, on which a big red X mark had been drawn. We slowly made our way towards the campsite, Mira and I still only wearing our bikinis, dripping with sweat and still flapping our hands wildly. I grabbed the cross-shaped necklace that was hanging from my neck, peeling it away from my skin, which had begun turning slightly red under it from the heat. I wonder if she's hot in there? I mean, is she really even _in_ there? My train of thoughts was interrupted as we reached the designated area.

''Here we are!'' Erza declared, throwing her gigantic luggage to the ground. How she managed to bring that around with her everywhere she went, I had no idea.

We quickly undid our luggage and established camp, building the tents and starting right up with a campfire on which we could grill some fish.

''I'll go catch our meal.'' Gildarts proposed, hopping down the slope next to our campsite.

''I better go with him.'' Mira said with a chuckle, ''He'll destroy anything he catches before bringing it to us. He might even destroy the island.'' With that, she followed him and left Erza and me to tend to the camp.

We sat in silence for a while before Erza spoke up.

''I'm really sorry about what happened last week.'' she started, ''We didn't mean to embarrass you.''

''Ah, that's no problem. I'm the one who bolted and effectively ruined the fun for everyone. I'm sorry for reacting this way.'' I reassured her with a smile, waving my hand in front of my face in a dismissing fashion. Another short moment of silence followed before Erza spoke again, startling me.

''If you want to talk about it, I'll gladly listen to you. We're family.'' she finished. Erza was a woman of few words, but when she spoke them, it was always with kindness and sincerity. Before I could stop myself, the words came pouring out of my mouth without restraint.

''I don't know how to move on. I don't know how to forget.'' I blurted out, rubbing my hands together awkwardly, not sure if she would understand what I said, nor if I even knew what I meant to say myself. The redhead closed her eyes for a minute and smiled, finally looking back up at me and surprising me yet again with her wise words.

''Moving on doesn't mean you forget about things. It just means you have to accept what's happened and continue living.'' she finished, smiling softly at me. I looked at her, mouth slightly open, not sure what to make of what she just said.

 _Moving on doesn't mean you forget about things. It just means you have to accept what's happened and continue living._

The words resonated through my mind as I tried to grasp hold of their meaning. Of what they would mean for me, moving forward.

As I pondered the thoughts, Mira and Gildarts made their way back, arms full of fish.

''Look how many we caught!'' the Demon exclaimed, ''The sea around this island is filled with fish of all kinds.''

By the time we finished eating, it was already nighttime. The sun had set and the fresh sea breeze helped cool our bodies. We put out the fire and went to sleep in our respective tents. I lingered a bit outside, laying down in the moist grass a distance away from the campsite. I looked up at the stars and tried to find all the constellations. While engrossed in my task, I witnessed a shooting star falling across the sky.

''Happiness…'' I quietly wished for, joining my hands together and praying under a cloak of darkness illuminated by the stars shining ever so brightly, unbothered by human worries.

Unbeknownst to me, my prayer had been heard, but everything in life came with a price, as I was soon to learn.


End file.
